Most expensive province to buy food in South Africa 2025

Gauteng has emerged as the most expensive province in South Africa to buy groceries at the start of 2025, with Johannesburg leading as the priciest city, surpassing Durban and Cape Town.
This is according to data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group, which tracks the cost of a household food basket across various regions.
In January 2025, the cost of a household food basket, comprising 44 essential food items that reflect typical purchasing patterns, reached R5,433.70.
This marks a 2% annual increase of R108.84 compared to January 2024. Month-on-month, the rise was lower at 0.9%, adding R50.32 to household expenses.
While this annual increase is lower than the overall consumer price inflation rate of 3%, food costs remain a pressing concern for many South Africans, particularly in urban areas where grocery prices continue to rise.
Recent data from Statistics South Africa shows that food inflation peaked at 5.1% in June 2024 before slowing, providing some relief.
However, this decline has done little to alleviate the strain on household budgets in cities like Johannesburg, where food prices remain higher than the national average.
A breakdown of costs by region further highlights the disparities. In Johannesburg, the household food basket cost R5,507.38 in January 2025, reflecting a 2.7% increase of R145.61 from the previous year.
This figure surpasses the national average by R73.68, making Johannesburg the most expensive metro for groceries.
In comparison, Cape Town recorded the cheapest food basket among the three major metros at R5,368.58, which is R65.12 less than in Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, Durban’s food basket reached R5,451.07, reflecting a 1.7% annual increase but still coming in slightly below the national average.
Despite some price reductions within specific food categories, the overall trend remains concerning.
The PMBEJD report found that while 14 of the 44 tracked food items became cheaper year-on-year, 30 experienced price hikes, with five items seeing double-digit inflation.
These increases exacerbate the financial burden on households, particularly those with lower and middle incomes, which allocate a substantial portion of their earnings to groceries.
Examining the broader trend, the rising cost of groceries over the years paints an alarming picture.
In 1995, a middle-income household’s grocery basket of 12 staple items cost just R93.16. Today, the same basket is priced at R728.24, representing an astonishing 682% increase.
This far outstrips the general inflation rate of 4.14% over the same period, underscoring the disproportionate rise in food prices relative to other goods and services.
These figures, sourced from archived 1995 data from Stats SA and current prices from major retailers, highlight the worsening issue of food affordability.
The relentless increase in grocery costs continues to erode household purchasing power, making it increasingly difficult for families to meet their nutritional needs.
As food prices climb, many South Africans find themselves forced to make difficult choices, further deepening concerns over economic inequality and household financial stability.